History

Acute effects

Long-term use

Long-term use of cocaine interferes with sleep, can lower seizure threshold, and lead to palatal perforation.

Overdose of cocaine

Signs of a cocaine overdose include the following:

Convulsions

Hyperthermia

Coma

Neuropsychiatric complications

Psychiatric disturbances include depression, suicidal ideation, paranoia, kleptomania, violent antisocial behavior, catatonia, and auditory or visual hallucinations. Cocaine use may lead to impulsivity, resulting in sexually risky behavior and increasing the risk of becoming infected with HIV.

Convulsions

Convulsions occur in about 1-40% of cocaine users.
[10] Convulsions caused by cocaine can be generalized or partial, simple or complex. The majority of seizures are single, generalized, induced by intravenous or crack cocaine, and not associated with any lasting neurological deficits. Most focal, multiple, or induced seizures caused by nasal insufflation of cocaine are associated with an acute intracerebral complication or concurrent use of other drugs.

All routes of administration are associated with seizures, and seizures can be induced in some persons by small quantities of cocaine. Once intoxication has passed, these individuals do not require long-term anticonvulsant therapy.

Although most cocaine-induced seizures are benign and self-limiting, seizures may be due to other more severe complications, such as infarction and intracranial hemorrhage.